Elastomeric articles such as gloves often come into contact with liquids and fluids during their use. By their very design and material, articles such as gloves are constructed to form a barrier between the wearer's skin and the exterior environment in which they are to be used.
Medical gloves, including both examination gloves and surgical gloves, are used in healthcare sites and clinical environments and are important in preventing infection and the spread of pathogenic diseases. During use, medical gloves often accumulate blood and other fluids on their surface from the patient's body, thereby contaminating the surface of the glove. Consequently, the wearer of the glove is at increased risk of contamination through contact with the patient's bodily fluids during both use and removal of the glove. Furthermore, during surgical procedures, fluids on glove surfaces can cause visual obstruction and other problems, thereby requiring the user to wipe the gloves or inconveniently remove the gloves and substitute them with another pair during the procedure. Another problem associated with conventional glove usage is that depending on the elastomer used, the gloves can be susceptible to chemical degradation by certain solvents, such as alcohol. Thus, there is a need in the art to provide a surface treatment for gloves and other elastomeric articles which will repel these contaminating fluids from the surface of the articles.
Liquid repellency on an elastomeric article surface such as gloves depends upon the surface tension difference between the contacting liquid and the article surface. Blood and body fluids have both hydrophilic and lipophilic characteristics. Problems have been encountered in formulating effective fluid repellent coatings that utilize a minimal amount of ingredients but at the same time adequately adhere to elastomeric surfaces. Thus, there exists a need in the medical field for elastomeric articles, such as gloves, which effectively repel both hydrophilic and lipophilic fluids from the article surface.